The Hunchback of Notre Dame II: Someday Soon
by littlerae96
Summary: Months after the events of Frollo's demise, everything seems perfect in Paris. But, when a new Minister of Justice rises to power with evil plans in store for the gypsies and the bell ringer. Meanwhile a girl named Elisabeth travels to Paris in search of a new life. She meets and befriends Quasimodo, and the pair must work together to stop the cruel Judge Laroche.
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note**

**Hi, everybody! This is my first published fanfic, and I'm so excited! I've always loved the Hunchback of Notre Dame movie, but could never learn to like the sequel (Hunchback of Notre Dame 2). I decided to write my own sequel, and here it is! Please review and let me know what you think!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own any of the original cast of Disney's Hunchback of Notre Dame, only my own original characters. I also make no money from writing this fanfic. (Not that I couldn't use some... haha)**

**Well, without further ado, here is the Hunchback of Notre Dame II: Someday Soon!**

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CHAPTER ONE

It was a beautiful morning in Paris. The sun was just beginning to rise over the sprawling city, making the thousands of painted rooftops gleam with light, and illuminating the haphazard streets with a warm glow. The sights, smells, and sounds of the city waking up were everywhere. The street vendors displayed their wares and proclaimed their prices, the smell of the fresh bread in the bakeries wafted through the air, and horse-drawn carts clip-clopped up and down the cobblestone streets. Citizens of the great city started to leave their houses, the men to their workplaces and the women to the markets. Gaggles of children laughed and played, pestering their neighbors and inventing ridiculous games. The deep boom of the church bells echoed through the sky, heralding the new day.

Meanwhile, at the entrance to the city, a weather-beaten hay cart driven by a kindly old farmer pulled up to the gates.

"Well, this is your stop, dearie!" He shouted hoarsely to a young woman riding in the back of his cart.

The girl grinned happily, calling attention to her freckled cheeks and wide eyes.

"I can't believe it! Paris! I'm finally here!" She babbled, her words running together from her excitement. "Thanks so much for letting me ride with you, sir!"

The old farmer chuckled. "It's no trouble at all. I never pass up a chance to talk to a friendly young lady, especially one as pretty as yourself!"

He winked, and the girl blushed. "Well I really appreciate it," she replied. "Oh, I almost forgot my bag!" As she went to retrieve a burlap sack from the back of the hay cart, the farmer called back to her.

"So, what brings you to the city?" He asked.

The young woman smiled again. "I've always dreamed about it, ever since I was little!" She answered. "I grew up in Dinan, which is just a little farming town out in the country. I liked it there, but there isn't much to do besides eat, sleep, and work on my family's farm."

"Sounds fine to me," the farmer said, "but I suppose you're lookin' for a little more excitement out of life than I am!" When the girl nodded, he laughed loudly. "All you young people are these days! Well, I hope you have some wonderful adventures in Paris, missy!"

"I hope so too. Thank you, sir! Safe travels!" She said as she walked through the city gates. The old man laughed again as he started to ride away. Then, he paused.

"Oh, one more thing! I never caught your name!" He shouted to the girl.

"It's Elisabeth! Elisabeth Altier!"

"Good luck, Elisabeth!"

She waved as he continued on his way. Then, brushing her tangled brown hair out of her face, Elisabeth made her way further into the city to explore.

Immediately, she fell in love. She ambled through the streets, gawking at street performers and marveling at the tall wooden buildings, which were much higher than any she had ever seen back home in Dinan. She laughed as a runaway cart, chased by a shouting gypsy, hurtled down the road. Impulsively, she bought an icing-bedecked pastry from one vendor and a small bouquet of wildflowers from another. Soon, Elizabeth took a seat on a bench beside the glittering Seine, nibbling her croissant and listening to a puppeteer sing a jaunty song about the wonderful place she now called home.

"Morning in Paris!

The city awakes

To the bells of Notre Dame…"

A little later, Elisabeth was quietly humming the tune to herself as she walked down a particularly busy street. She was beginning to daydream once again, and was so preoccupied that she didn't hear the sound of the horse's hoofs clacking against the cobblestones, coming up behind her. Suddenly, she was startled out of her thoughts by a loud whinny that sounded practically in her ear. She looked over her shoulder to see a huge draft horse rearing up over her! Gasping in fright, she dashed out of the road at the last second. The horse's hooves came down on the ground where she had been standing, and the carriage driver shouted angrily as he passed.

"SACRE BLEU! Mon Dieu, mam'selle, sortez d'la route! F'chus p'sans…"

Elisabeth couldn't quite tell what he was saying due to his thick accent, but she guessed that it was a stream of profanities. The driver continued down the road, narrowly missing a few other unlucky pedestrians. The young woman, red from embarrassment, was ready to vent her irritation with a few curses of her own, but then she looked down the road and the words died in her throat.

It was Notre Dame! The majestic cathedral rose above every other building in sight, a proud stallion standing amongst tiny, stumbling colts. It was austere, serene, and beautiful: just as Elisabeth had imagined it. She was quite overcome with the need to see it up close.

Before, the girl had been drifting through the streets with no real destination in mind, content to be charmed by the goings-on of her new home. Now she walked with purpose, sparing no time for sideshow performers or merchants with "the best prices this side of the Seine!" But even though she was set on visiting the famous cathedral, she stopped in front of a shadowed alley when she heard an increasingly loud argument coming from within. Other people had gathered to gawk, so she fought through to the front of the crowd, and what she saw made her teeth clench.

Five soldiers were in the act of dragging off a gypsy boy who couldn't be older than twelve, and the boy was certainly putting up a fight. He kept yelling, "Let me go, I've done nothing wrong!" But the soldiers ignored his pleas, and one made to strike him across the face to quiet him. Elisabeth found herself pushing past the last few people in front of her.

"Stop!" the girl cried, without considering the consequences. The air seemed to rush out of her lungs when all five soldiers turned to glare at her. One man, who was obviously the leader, looked at her with thinly veiled irritation.

"Whatever is the matter, girl? We are simply in the act of arresting this thief and bringing him to the Palace of Justice, where he belongs."

"Lies!" the boy said, trying to shake off the guards holding him. "I haven't stolen a thing, I swear it!"

"Do not lie to me, boy," the leader said. Elisabeth gave him a quick once-over. He was tall and strongly built, with black hair and cold, steel-blue eyes. He looked to be in high social standing, wearing an expensive midnight black cloak over a gray military uniform. She supposed he was rather handsome, in an aloof sort of way, but she was already getting a very bad feeling from him. The man spoke to Elisabeth scornfully again. "We found a stolen necklace in this gypsy's pocket, is that not grounds to arrest him?"

The accused interrupted again. "I swear, I've never seen it before–"

"Quiet!" One of the guards snapped. "You should know better than to interrupt Judge Adolphe Laroche, Minister of Justice and–"

"That will be all, Miller," the judge said sharply. "Everyone already knows who I am, after all."

Well, Elisabeth hadn't, but she didn't think saying so would help her much. "I don't believe you," she said accusingly.

The man looked surprised. "You don't believe that I'm Judge Laroche?" The guards and several people in the crowd laughed spitefully, and Elisabeth blushed scarlet in spite of herself.

"No! I mean that I don't believe that this boy stole anything. He doesn't look like the sort that would."

Now the judge, who the girl already passionately disliked, looked downright amused. "Oh really? Well, my dear, if you have any actual evidence to prove that the boy is, in fact, innocent, then I should be happy to hear it."

Much to her embarrassment, Elisabeth had nothing to say. After a moment of silence, punctuated by snickers from the onlookers, Laroche smirked exultantly. He knew that he had won. "Since you obviously do not, I suppose mine will have to suffice." He turned to the crowd, which was growing by the second. "Fellow Parisians, let it be known that I, Judge Laroche, will purge this city of all lawbreakers, be they nobleman or peasant, gypsy or Frenchman! Claude Frollo's reign of misery is over, and together we shall usher in a new era of justice and equality. Rest assured, my only goal is to make sure you sleep safely every night knowing that your Minister of Justice is keeping criminals at bay!"

As the crowd roared with approval, applauding loudly, Elisabeth looked at the poor gypsy boy in apology. He gave her a sad half-smile back, as if to say, _I know you tried_. And with that, the soldiers dragged him away. The judge followed behind them, the crowd parting before him like the Red Sea before Moses. As he passed Elisabeth, he paused and whispered in her ear, malice dripping from his voice.

"And I will certainly be keeping an eye on you, my dear. I just cannot abide troublemakers…"

She froze, terrified. He gave a final wave to the crowd, and rode off on his horse, no doubt to pass official judgement on the "thief" at the Palace of Justice. The people dispersed, and Elisabeth tried to suppress a shiver. Laroche's voice had been as malevolent as if the little farm girl was his worst enemy. Though she couldn't prove it, Elisabeth knew beyond doubt that Laroche was not the benevolent, just public official he portrayed himself to be.

Shaking off her fear, the young woman continued towards the cathedral, considerably less enchanted with Paris thanks her close encounter with the sinister Judge. Something was amiss in the City of Lights, and something told Elisabeth that this afternoon wouldn't be her last encounter with the Minister of Justice.

She shuddered at the thought.


	2. Chapter 2

**Here's chapter two everyone! In this chapter we have canon characters! Please welcome everyone's gavorite hunchback, Quasimodo! *applause***

**By the way, please review! It helps me to know that people are interested!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything except Judge Laroche and Elisabeth, everything else belongs to Disney.**

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CHAPTER TWO

Later that day, at Notre Dame Cathedral, Quasimodo the bell ringer lithely swung down from the rafters of the bell tower. He had just finished tolling the bells for noon, and they were still reverberating through the air. The deep boom of the bronze instruments was music to the hunchback's ears, and to the rest of Paris as well. Smiling contentedly, Quasimodo hobbled to his work table. He was noticeably less graceful walking on the ground than he was leaping through the air like an acrobat, because of his unfortunate condition. But he didn't complain. Up until a few months ago, the bell ringer's deformity had done more than just make him a bit ungainly on his feet. Thanks to Judge Claude Frollo, the old Minister of Justice, Quasi had been locked away in the bell tower, forbidden to associate with other people at all.

However, thanks to Quasimodo's new friends, Esmeralda and Phoebus, all that had changed. Now Frollo was gone and the bell ringer had gained the confidence to walk freely through Paris, without fear of being persecuted for being different. True, the people had been less than accepting of the hunchback the first time he went outside–Quasimodo thought back to the disastrous Feast of Fools celebration and winced–but most of them had quickly learned to love the gentle bell ringer.

But even still, Quasimodo was shy. Twenty-one years of Frollo's influence seemed to have ingrained the hunchback's reclusive habits into him, and he remained nervous and deferential around all but those closest to him. It didn't help that Esmeralda was so busy these days. She and Phoebus had just gotten married, and Quasimodo couldn't be happier for them; he had renounced all romantic feelings for the gypsy woman, and now the two shared a close friendship. Yet, the bell ringer couldn't help but miss Esmeralda's daily visits. Of course, the happy couple was very busy, and they still made time to see their friend. But it wasn't quite the same as before, and Quasi found himself just a little bit lonely these days. He thought he hid it well, but he couldn't hide his sadness from his three oldest friends.

As the hunchback leaned on his work table and sighed, eyeing the wooden figures of Phoebus and Esmeralda dejectedly, the trio of gargoyles perched nearby sprang to life.

"What's got you down, Quasi?" Laverne queried, her voice sweet and soft.

"Yeah," drawled Hugo. "I haven't seen ya this blue since that time you spilled blue paint all over Victor!"

Victor huffed. "_You_ were the one who perpetrated that little stunt, not Quasimodo," he spat, rolling his eyes.

After Laverne elbowed the arguing pair in irritation, she turned back to the bell ringer.

"Now go on, tell me what's wrong," She coaxed. "I'm all ears."

Quasimodo ran a large hand through his shock of scarlet hair and smiled at Laverne, his eyes sad. "Oh, don't worry about me! What do I have to complain about? Everything's great..." His eyes wandered back to the carved figurines on the table, and he sighed again.

The gargoyles raised their stony eyebrows.

"I've noticed that your companions, Esmeralda and Phoebus, haven't stopped by lately..." Victor ventured.

Laverne patted Quasimodo on the back. "Could it be that you're gettin' a little lonely again, up here all by yourself?" She asked delicately.

When the bell ringer nodded slowly, Hugo stamped his foot. "Well who needs 'em anyway?" He ranted. "You can just make some new friends, that's what you'll do!"

Quasi's eyes widened. "Oh no, of course I'm not upset with them!" He spluttered. "I couldn't possibly replace Esmeralda and Phoebus; they've been there for me through so much!"

Laverne smacked Hugo in the back of the head. "Don't listen to this dummy!" She said as the other gargoyle clutched his head and moaned. "There's certainly no need to _replace_ anyone, sweetie! But maybe it would be a good thing for you to meet a few new people..."

"Yes, indeed," Victor intoned. "One can never have too many friends!"

Quasimodo looked thoughtful. "Well, I suppose that might be nice," he conceded. "B-but what if no one else likes me as much as they do? I'm a little n-nervous about–"

"Quasi!" Hugo interrupted. "You've gotta live a little! See some new sights, try some new things, meet some new _ladies_..." He winked broadly, and the hunchback turned redder than his hair.

"_Right_," the bell ringer said sarcastically. "And where exactly am I going to meet any _ladies_?"

The gargoyles were about to reply, when an unusual noise came from just outside the bell tower. They heard light footsteps, and then the sound of a door squeaking open...

A voice echoed up from downstairs.

"Hello? Is anyone up here...?"

Hugo smirked at Quasimodo triumphantly, and all three of the gargoyles turned back into stone.

The bell ringer was at a loss for words.

_What should I do?_ He thought. _What should I _say_? If only Esmeralda were here..._

The voice spoke again, accompanied by the sound of floorboards creaking slowly as someone stepped over them. "My name's Elisabeth, and I'm new to the city. I was exploring Notre Dame and I ended up here... Hello?"

_Come on, Quasimodo, say something!_ The hunchback thought to himself. Finally, he worked up the courage to speak.

"Um, h-hello!" He faltered, his stammer returning along with his old anxiety about meeting strangers. "If you're l-lost, then you can get back d-down to the cathedral the s-same way you came up..."

More floorboards creaked; this girl, Elisabeth, was getting closer! Quasimodo was petrified.

"Thank you!" She said, coming yet closer. Oh no, could she be starting to climb the ladder? "But I'd like to look around for a minute, if that's alright with you. This is a beautiful bell tower! Like I said, I'm Elisabeth, but you can call me Elisa if you'd rather. And you are?"

"O-oh, I'm so sorry! I r-really should have i-introduced m-myself..." Quasimodo stuttered in humiliation. "I am Q-Quasimodo, the bell ringer." Then, as he saw a small hand reach the top of the ladder leading to the platform he was on, he gasped and stumbled backwards into the shadows.

"No need to be sorry! It's very nice to meet you, Quasimodo!" Said the young woman who was just pulling herself over the last rung of the ladder. She stood up, dusting off her long skirt.

Quasimodo studied her from the dark corner of the platform, where he could not be seen. If the hunchback was startled before, he was stunned now. He thought the girl was beautiful! She was petite and slender in a shabby brown skirt and a green off-the-shoulder blouse with ruffles around the collar. Her fair skin was covered in freckles, and her light brown hair fell messily around her waist.

While the bell ringer had been gaping at her, Elisabeth had spotted the work table and promptly run over to it.

"Wow, these are amazing," she breathed, staring open-mouthed at the wooden figurines on display. "The details are so intricate, and the care put into it... Did you carve these?" She inquired, her eyes aglow with wonderment.

Quasimodo hesitated for a moment. All he could think about was how pretty her blue-green eyes were...

He hesitated too long. "Quasimodo?" The girl called, turning from the work table to look for him. "Where did you go–oh, there you are!" She had spotted his dark silhouette in the shady corner. "Why don't you come out here, so I can see you?"

The hunchback broke into a cold sweat. "N-no, please!" He backed away even further, knocking over a small piece of pottery. It crashed onto the floor, and the girl winced. "You c-can't be up here, you m-must go!"

Now Elisabeth looked hurt. "Why not?" She asked softly.

_Oh, no! I didn't want to make her sad..._ Quasimodo thought despairingly. "I'm s-s-sorry," he whispered wretchedly. "I didn't m-mean to upset you. I-it's just that I d-don't want you to s-see me." When the girl gave him a questioning look, he sighed. "I'm not...much to l-look at..."

The girl smiled. "Is that all?" She asked. "I don't mind, Quasimodo! It's what's on the inside that counts anyway."

The bell ringer shook his head violently. "That's not what you would say if you saw! I-I'm–"

"Alright, I'll tell you what," Elisabeth offered. "If you'd rather, we can just talk for a while. I don't need to see you if you aren't comfortable with that yet. I'm telling you though, you don't need to worry!"

Quasi breathed a sigh of relief. "That would be much better, thank you." He agreed. Then, he grinned. "S-so, Elisabeth, what brings you to Paris? You said y-you were new to the city..."

The girl beamed. "Well," she started, sitting down on the ground, "It all really started with my grandparents. You see, I grew up in a tiny town out in the countryside, with five brothers and sisters and my parents all working on the family farm. It was nice and everything, but I always felt a little out of place there. Everyone thought I had my head up in the clouds, and shouldn't I stop painting and start picking the weeds already?–"

"Do you paint?" Quasimodo asked interestedly.

Elisa grinned from ear to ear. "I try to!" She said. "I've only taught myself, so I'm not sure if I'm any good..."

"I-I'm sure you are," the hunchback promised. "So you were saying about your grandparents?"

"Right! Well, both of them used to travel a lot, and they've seen the wold and know how I felt about being stuck in Dinan. So, they started saving up money without telling me. Then, a few weeks ago, they gave me the money on my eighteenth birthday so I could come to Paris and make a new life for myself! I just got here today, and I love it."

"H-how wonderful," Quasi said. "Do you have f-family to stay with in the city?"

Now Elisabeth looked a little worried. "Well, not exactly. I didn't really think that part of the plan through yet, and I spent most of my money just getting to Paris. I thought I'd find someone to stay with by now..." She bit her lip, looking down at the floor. "Well, I guess I'll just sleep outside for a night! How bad can it be?"

"Oh no!" Quasimodo exclaimed. "That won't do at all! Such a kind, p-pretty girl like you, sleeping out in the cold..." He realized what he said, and blushed scarlet. "U-um what I mean to say is, is, you could maybe s-stay here for however long you n-need to, if you'd like? Of course, I-I would completely understand if you'd rather find s-somewhere else–"

Elisabeth clapped her hands together in excitement. "That sounds perfect! Thank you so much, Quasimodo, though I really don't mean to impose."

"N-not at all!" He insisted. "I really don't have much, but it's better than the streets!"

The girl laughed. "Well, beggars can't be choosers! I really appreciate the offer. So," she said, leaning towards Quasimodo's darkened figure, "that's enough about me. How long have you been a bell ringer?"

"U-uh, well," Quasimodo answered, a little self-conscious talking about himself, "My whole life, I guess. I've always lived up in this bell tower."

Elisa looked surprised. "Wow, really?" She asked. "Do you get a little lonely up here all by yourself?"

"I suppose..." the bell ringer murmured. "But it's really not all bad! I have some friends who come visit me, and then there are the gargoyles–" He flushed when he mentioned them. "A-and anyway, now I can go outside if I want to, and most people are very nice to me when they see me."

The young woman sitting on the floor frowned. "_Now_ you can go outside?" She said in concern. "You couldn't before?"

"Yes," Quasimodo spoke softly. "There u-used to be a man named F-Frollo who made me stay up here. H-he told me it was to keep me safe, that the people outside would hate me if they saw how u-ugly I was..." The hunchback trailed off.

Elisabeth was silent for a moment, taking in what she heard. Finally she spoke. "Quasimodo, I'm so sorry that happened to you." Her voice was caring. "I know we just met, but I can already tell what a kind and gentle person you are. You aren't ugly, you're very sweet and I would love to become your friend."

Quasimodo didn't know what to say, but tears sprang to his eyes.

After a few beats of silence, the girl spoke again. "Do you think that maybe it would be a good idea for you to let me see you now, so I can show you that I won't treat you any differently?" When the bell ringer started to protest, she continued. "After all, I _am_ going to be staying here for a while, so shouldn't you learn to trust me?"

Quasimodo's throat tightened. "You p-promise you won't be s-scared?" He choked out, terrified.

Elisabeth smiled. "Yes, I promise."

Everything in the bell ringer told him to run away, but he fought his feelings back. _What to I have to lose? _He tried to convince himself. _Just maybe, she'll be different..._

Gathering all his courage, Quasimodo stepped out into the light...


End file.
